Up and down, up and down. I have been within a few pounds of goal for weeks now. I keep inching a little closer and swinging back up. Once I was within a pound.
"It's odd that I'm so close and I'm not mustering the willpower to push through to the end," I told Mark over coffee after dinner. "I guess I'm a little tired of the privations. And I'm craving sweets like crazy and don't know why, or what way to respond is best. And I keep thinking 'aaaah, it's not such a big deal, I'm pretty close anyway,' and that makes it hard to deny myself, well, anything. It doesn't seem important anymore."
He looked at me and said thoughtfully, "You know, maybe 'the last three pounds' are the most important ones. I mean, if you're going to make 108 your target weight. Aren't you within the range of weight that's supposed to trigger you going from maintenance mode to weight loss mode?"
"Yes, I guess I am. I'm at the point where, if I met goal and then I saw this weight one morning, I'd say 'I've put on a couple of pounds and I'd better cut back and take it off.'"
"So… what you've got left to lose is something you need to be able to do. Quickly."
He's right. All that's left… is something I ought to be able to lose cheerfully and quickly as a matter of course, because (if things go well) I can expect to lose it repeatedly, as part of normal maintenance. I'd better start practicing.
Three more pounds. You with me? Just a little bit longer?